The Box
by PotterizeMe
Summary: A mysterious item was found in the living room of Hermione Granger on the morning of Valentine's Day. Inside, instructions that would lead her to believe in love again.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Hermione Granger was a very caring person. She cared about magical creatures most wouldn't think about caring for. She cared about her friends and family. She cared about her job as a healer at St. Mungos. She cared about the environment, so she recycled. She cared about a lot of things. One thing she did not care for was Valentine's Day.

Valentine's Day; a day to tell the world how much you loved your significant other. A day of proposals, rejections, cupid, roses, chocolate, chocolate, and more chocolate. The day where fathers surprise their little girls with teddy bears holding heart-shaped boxes of chocolate. The day when it's accepted by society to act like a love-sick puppy all day.

Hermione knew all about Valentine's Day. As a girl, her father was one of those that gave gifts. She grew up watching her mother receive chocolate and roses and candlelight dinners. She dreamed that one day_ she_ would on the receiving end of someone's gifts. She prayed she would find a man that would make her heart skip a beat every time she laid eyes on him. She still had these fantasies as she left for Hogwarts. They all came to a crashing halt as soon as she became friends with Harry Potter.

Instead of hanging out with the girls in her dorm and talking about boys late at night, Hermione, Harry, and Ron would be out exploring the Forbidden Forest, or sneaking around the castle. She never really got to be a girl with them. The first time she ever felt beautiful was when Viktor Krum asked her to the Yule Ball. When all eyes turned to her, she felt amazing. That was the first and last time she felt that way.

Her feelings for Ron were always at the back of her mind, but she never acted upon them, for fear of rejection. In her sixth year, when Ron Snogged Lavender Brown in the Common Room, she decided that love was a useless waste of time, and vowed to never let it clog her mind like that ever again.

They dated after the War, of course. The kiss meant something to her. She had hope again. Hermione Granger once again believed in love. They were an item, inseparable for three months after the Final Battle. She believed it was love, and she wanted the whole world to know. She knew what they had was special and would last forever.

For once in her life, Hermione Granger was wrong.


	2. Chapter 2

_***DISCLAIMER: I'm not J.K.**____Rowling. I would love to take a polyjuice potion and be her for a few hours, but alas, I can't. I receive no money for this, and none of the characters are mine. I can only take credit for the plot._

Chapter 2

After graduation, Hermione Granger decided to get a flat with her boyfriend, Ronald Weasley. It seemed like such a good idea at the time. Fresh out of school, the couple chose a flat in the same building as Harry Potter. Splitting up the Golden Trio was difficult, but it gave them the privacy they wanted. Everything changed that Valentine's Day after graduation.

Hermione unfortunately had a meeting that night, so she wasn't able to make their dinner reservations. By the time 10:00 rolled around, the meeting was winding down and Hermione was anxious to get home and see what Ron had prepared for their first Valentine's Day as a couple.

After unlocking the door, which was always open if one of them was home, she walked in around 10:30. It was dim, with candles everywhere. About half of them had gone out already, so it was quite dark. She stumbled around a little bit before muttering a quick _lumos_ and walking down the hallway. She was greeted with a very romantic, yet completely empty, candlelight dinner.

"I guess Ron got hungry. Gee, I feel bad he had to wait so long." Hermione thought as she walked into the living room. Hearing a rhythmic banging accompanied by soft moans and groans, she walked over to their bedroom door to investigate.

Opening it with her wand raised, Hermione was greeted with the sight of her boyfriend in bed with none other than Lavender Brown. She screeched as she threw a _furnunculus _at him and left the room, pleased to hear his screams as the boils erupted on his skin. She grabbed her trusty beaded bag, which always had extra clothes and emergency supplies in it, and left the flat.

Going downstairs, she help back her sobs as she pounded on Harry's door, calling for him to open up. It was then that she noticed a note:

_Hermione,_

_If you need anything, ask me tomorrow. I haven't seen Ginny in months, and this is the only time we'll have together. I'm sorry if it's an inconvenience to you. Why don't you ask the twins?_

_I still love you,_

_HP_

That finally broke her. That her best friend couldn't be there for her when she needed him most. She picked herself up after 20 minutes of sobbing and walked out to Diagon Alley.

Walking alone at 11 pm wasn't very safe anywhere, so she was grateful when she looked to see the Weasley twin's shop. Realizing she had no way to get in, Hermione sat down on the cobblestone to wait.

George walked up to their store with Angelina on his arm, surprised to see a very upset Hermione sitting on the street.

"Hermione? What happened?" George asked, trying to get her attention.

She looked up at him and saw he was obviously just coming home from a date, and started to get up.

"I'm sorry. I don't know why I thought you would be alone on Valentine's Day." As she said it, Hermione's words began to get chocked up and she started to sob again. Seeing this, George quickly pulled her into a hug and told Angelina over her head that she should follow them upstairs.

When they reached the flat, George pulled Hermione inside and set her down on the couch. Going to his room, he woke up Fred from his sleep and explained the situation. Meanwhile, Angelina got the message and went off to George's room to wait.

Fred came into their living room to see a crying Hermione, and told George to just go to bed, and that he could handle it from here. He knew by his brother's grateful expression that at least he would be happy tonight.

Getting her a cup of tea and some tissues, Fred sat down with Hermione to find out why she was there. As she sobbed out the story, Fred felt himself getting angrier at Ron for leaving her alone on the one day no one wants to be alone for. He comforted her throughout the night, and as she fell asleep a few hours later, he knew he would never be able to look at him the same way.

After the whole ordeal with Ron, she moved out and bought her own flat. Hermione once again swore off love, and focused on her career, going to medical school and becoming a Healer. It was three years later that she felt she had fully moved on by that time; she was already working her way up the career ladder. She felt she was beginning to trust men again, but just for friendship, for Hermione knew she could never love again.

All that changed that one morning when she walked into her living room to see a suspicious purple box waiting there.


End file.
